The present invention refers to a teatcup liner intended to be mounted in a teatcup shell for forming a teatcup for a milking member, wherein the teatcup liner includes a head portion, which is provided at a first end of the teatcup liner, and a pipe portion, which extends from the head potion towards a second end along a longitudinal axis of the teatcup liner and which defines an inner space arranged to receive a teat of an animal, wherein the longitudinal axis forms a centre axis of the inner space, wherein the head portion includes an opening, which is intended to permit the introduction of said teat into the inner space, and wherein the head portion consists of a first part, which extends from a first side of a plane including the longitudinal axis, and a second part, which extends from the other side of said plane.
Furthermore, the invention refers to a teatcup for a milking member, including a teatcup shell and a teatcup liner as defined above.
The invention also refers to a milking member including at least two teatcups as defined above.
In connection with milking according to conventional technique, teatcups, which are intended to be applied to a teat of the animal to be milked, are used. Such teatcups includes a teatcup shell and a teatcup liner, which is provided in the teatcup shell and arranged to receive a teat in an inner space, wherein the teat is introduced through an opening in an upper part of the teatcup liner. Conventional teatcups and teatcup liners have a circular cross-sectional shape, wherein the upper part of the teatcup liner, the head portion, has a relatively large radial extension. Said opening is centrally provided in the head portion.
In connection with machine milking of cows, the udder shapes of the cow and the location of teats on the udder frequently causes problems. Older cows and cows, which recently birthed calves, frequently have a relatively large distance between the teats whereas the teats of younger cows frequently are located relatively close to each other, in particular the two rearward teats. Such closely located teats may be difficult to reach by the teatcup, which results in the attachment of the teatcups taking a long time. Furthermore, the teatcups, when they have been applied, will not hang straight downwardly from the udder but due to the abutment against each other, the teatcups will hang obliquely, which means that the teat is bent which in turn may be a hinder to free milk flow. Such an undesired bending of the teat may also appear due to the curved shape of the udder, i.e., the teat is normally never located at the most downward point of the udder but at a distance from the lowest point, i.e. the teat is hanging naturally somewhat obliquely outwardly from the curved udder wall. This bending of the teat most often appears when the teat has a large mutual distance.
The object of the present invention is to remedy the problems mentioned above. A more precise object is to provide a teatcup liner and a teatcup, which is easily applicable to a teat and which is adapted to the geometry of the teat and the udder in such a way that a free milk flow is ensured or in other words that the teat is not bent.
This object is obtained by the teatcup liner initially defined, which is characterised in that the second part is substantially larger than the first part. Due to the fact that a part of the head portion is reduced in relation to an other part, it is in a better way than previously possible to reach closely located teats by turning the two reduced head portions of two teatcups, which are intended for two closely located teats, towards each other. By such a head portion, the teatcups will in addition hang more straight downwardly than according to prior art, which reduces the risk of an unpermittedly great bending of the teat. Furthermore, by reducing a part of the head portion, possibilities are created for a more freely hanging teatcup also in the cases when the udder wall is curved upwardly, and consequently, a substantially free milk flow may be ensured. Preferably, the teatcup liner is designed in such a way that said opening has a centre point, which substantially coincides with the longitudinal axis, whereby the teat may extend substantially straight into the inner space of the teatcup liner.
According to an embodiment of the invention, the second part has a larger extension than the first part in a substantially radial direction with regard to the longitudinal axis. By this embodiment, application of the teatcups to two closely located teats is enabled in particular.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the head portion includes, seen in the direction of the longitudinal axis, two approximately straight lateral borderlines, which extend substantially towards a common corner and form an angle to each other. By such a shape of the head portion, it is possible to adapt all, normally four, teatcups of a milking member to an udder where all teats are closely located. Advantageously, said corner is included by the first part.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, said opening has an oval shape seen in the direction of the longitudinal axis. In the case that the teat in spite of the measures defined above will be bent, such an oval shape of the opening will improve the milk flow through the teat, since the teat in the bend proper will obtain an oval cross-sectional shape, i.e. the shape of the opening is according to this embodiment adapted to the shape of the teat. Since the teat normally is bent inwardly towards a centre under the udder, the oval shape advantageously forms a major axis and a minor axis, which extends perpendicularly to the major axis, wherein the major axis is substantially parallel to said plane, or in other words the minor axis is substantially directed towards to common corner.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the second part has a larger extension than the first part in a direction which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. By this embodiment, especially the application of the teatcups to teats which are located on an udder area which has an upward curvature is improved. Advantageously, the head portion may have an end wall, through which said opening extends and which is inclined with regard to the longitudinal axis, wherein the end wall is inclined in such a way that the end wall of the first part is located more closely to the second end than the end wall of the second part. Preferably, means are arranged to define at the most two possible rotary positions to the teatcup liner in relation to the teatcup shell when the teatcup liner is mounted in the teatcup shell.
Furthermore, the object defined above is obtained by the initially defined teatcup, which is characterised in that the second part is larger than the first part. In a manner corresponding to the one of the above defined teatcup liner, an adaptation of the shape to the shape of the udder and the location of the teats on the udder is obtained by such a teatcup. Advantageously, such a teatcup shell, seen in a cross-section along the longitudinal axis, may include two substantially straight lateral borderlines, which extend substantially towards a common corner and form an angle to each other. In such a way, the teatcups of a milking member may be positioned closer to each other than according to prior art.
The object is also obtained by the milking member initially defined, which is characterised in that the teatcups are connected to the teatcup claw, in such a way that the first part of each of said teatcups faces a centre line, extending through the teat cup claw, at least when the milking member is attached to an animal to be milked.
The object is also obtained by the teatcup liner initially defined, which is characterised in that said opening has an oval shape seen in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
The object is also obtained by the teatcup liner initially defined, which is characterised in that the head portion has an end wall, through which said opening extends and which is inclined with regard to the longitudinal axis.